Gun



G. M. BARNES Feb. 27, 1934.

GUN

Filed March 17, 1933 Inventor Gladecm M-EEI"TLES M/V Z. fiy

Attorney Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UiTED STATES FFIC P A T GUN Gladeon M. Barnes, United States Army, Hastings, Mich.

Application March 17, 1933. Serial No. 661,337

4 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a gun.

In those guns where the cradle containing the recoil and recuperator chambers are forged from a single block the work cannot be divided and a false step occurring during fabrication necessitates discarding of the entire piece.

With a view to facilitating the production of such units, reducing weight and permitting repair and replacement it is proposed in the present invention to form the cradle of a pair of blocks connected by cylinders of the recoil mechanism and having guideways for receiving guides welded on the gun barrel.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved cradle and gun.

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail sectional views on the respective lines of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the trunnion block.

The cradle comprises a trunnion block 5 and a guide block 6 connected by means of a plurality of cylinders. In the present instance three cylinders 7, 8 and 9 are shown for containing a conventional type of recoil and counterrecoil mechanism. These cylinders are conveniently secured, as by threading, to socket members 10, 11 and 12 on the trunnion block 5 and pass through apertures in the guide block 6 to which they are secured by collars 13 and 14. The passages and valve mechanisms provided in the block 5 for establishing communication between the cylinders are not shown inasmuch as they may be arranged in the usual manner.

The blocks 5 and 6 are formed with guideways, respectively 15 and 16 for receiving laterally projecting guides 17 secured by welding to opposite sides of a gun barrel 18. Liners 19 are preferably placed in the guideways.

A pair of trunnions 20-20 are secured to the block 5 in a plane passing through the axis of the gun barrel 18. The block 5 is strengthened at the trunnions by an arcuate plate 21 passing over the gun barrel and secured to the block by means of bolts 22. An apron 23 secured to the plate 21 on the left side of the cradle is provided with an aperture 24 for receiving the customary cam unit (not shown) for cooperating with the breech block opening lever 25.

A cradle constructed in accordance with the present invention will be light in weight and still have sufficient strength to withstand the reactions of the gun barrel. The welding of the continuous guides directly to the gun barrel reduces the weight and cost of the barrel and enables it to have a favorable low mounting in the cradle.

I claim:

1. In a gun structure, a cradle comprising a rear and a front block each formed with guideways, socket members on the rear block, cylinders secured in said socket members and passing through the front block, means on the cylinders for confining the front block, trunnions on the rear block, an arcuate plate secured to the rear block in the vicinity of the trunnions, a gun barrel and laterally projecting guides welded to the barrel and working in the guideways of the blocks.

2. In a gun structure, a cradle comprising a rear and a front block each formed with the guideways, socket members on the rear block, cylinders secured in said socket members and passing through the front block, means on the cylinders for confining the front block, trunnions on the rear block, an arcuate plate secured to the rear block in the vicinity of the trunnions, and a gun barrel having guides receivable in the guideways of the blocks.

3. In a gun structure, a cradle comprising a rear and a front block, socket members on the rear block, cylinders secured in said socket members and passing through the front block, means on the cylinders for confining the front block, trunnions on the rear block, an arcuate plate secured to the rear block in the vicinity of the trunnions and a gun barrel mounted on the blocksfor sliding movement.

a. In a gun structure, a cradle comprising a rear and a front block, socket members on the rear block, cylinders secured in said socket members and passing through the front block, means on the cylinders for confining the front block, trunnions on the rear block and a gun barrel mounted in the blocks for sliding movement.

GLADEON M. BARNES. 

